Conventional spring powered staple guns may be used to staple one or more articles to a surface. Typically, the article to be stapled is manually aligned and temporarily held in place against the surface it is to be stapled to. The staple gun is then positioned at the desired location for application of a staple. The handle of the staple gun is forced downward by the user to cause the staple gun to shoot a staple out of the gun. The staple is thereby forced through the article and into the surface to attach the article to the surface.
Conventional staple guns have certain drawbacks when used for a number of types of applications. One drawback results when using a staple gun to attach an article to a surface that is overhead or otherwise hard to reach. In such instances, the user is required to depress the handle against the considerable force of a spring to activate the stapler; and this must be done when the user's hand is at an awkward position or angle. When the user's hand is at an awkward position or angle, the user may be unable to generate enough force to activate the staple gun. Moreover, even if the user can generate the required force while in the awkward position, if a number of staples are required, fatigue may quickly be experienced.
A specific example where awkward stapling positions is encountered is the task of stapling insulation in place between overhead rafters. To accomplish the task, a large number of staples are needed to be applied at various angles which may be difficult for the user to depress the staple gun handle to activate the spring of the stapler. This is especially true in view of the fact that depression of the stapler handle needs to occur while the user is attempting to hold the insulation in place, and while simultaneously aligning the stapler with its intended target.
Other applications require precise alignment of the staple and the article with the surface it is to be stapled to. One example of such an application occurs in the stapling of upholstery fabric to a frame of a piece of furniture. The upholstery must be carefully aligned with the frame so as not to create wrinkles and bulges in the upholstery. The staples themselves may also need to be carefully aligned to provide a professional appearance for the finished product. Moreover, once aligned, care must be taken so that the alignment is not disturbed when the user applies the required force to activate the staple gun. Often in such applications, the user creates a torque during the depression of the handle, resulting in twisting the upholstery out of place as it is stapled. In such instance, the user must remove the staple, realign the upholstery, and repeat the stapling attempt.
Thus, a need exists for a stapler that can be used in applications conducted overhead or at difficult to reach locations. A need also exists for a stapler that can be activated by a person not strong enough to activate the stapler in normal use. A further need exists for a staple gun for use when careful alignment of the stapled article, surface and staple is required.